Feeding Habits of Striped Piggy Fish, Pomadasys stridens (Forsskål, 1775) in the Persian Gulf

Abstract

The stomach contents of Pomadasys stridens were studied monthly in the Persian Gulf (Hormozgan province) from October 2020 to October 2021. The stomach contents analysis of 591 fish included a wide variety of food items such as bony fish, crustaceans, molluscs, echinoderms, plant materials, annelid worms, and miscellaneous materials. Although the food component percentage differed marginally between sexes, it was not statistically significant (P=0.19). The vacuity index revealed that P. stridens is a gluttonous species (19.5 %) and the amount of this index was not significantly different in both sexes, length classes, or months. The food preference varied by size: in younger fish, the dominant food item was fish prey, followed by unknown materials, crustaceans, and plant material, and in larger fish (often including sex-determined fish), the food preference shifted to mostly molluscs, crustaceans, and mixed food groups. These preferences also differed significantly across sexes and months (P<0.05). The Penaeid shrimps made up a major portion of P. stridens` diet. Therefore, any change in the stocks of each prey and their predators can have a significant effect on their exploitation potential in the region.